AP BIOLOGY

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR

INTRODUCTION

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
Why do animals defend their territories?
A
to maintain access to food, shelter, and mates
B
to increase the space in which they live
C
to establish dominance within a social group
D
to eliminate the need for social hierarchies
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -The ultimate goal of animals defending and inhabiting a territory is to improve the collective or individual health of the animals displaying the action. In this biological sense, fitness relates to the ability of an animal to raise young and survive.

Detailed explanation-2: -Many animals are territorial as adults. This strategy often makes evolutionary sense since animals can defend clumped resources more efficiently if they stake out a space of their own.

Detailed explanation-3: -Territorial behaviour is adaptive in many ways; it may permit an animal to mate without interruption or to raise its young in an area where there will be little competition for food. It can also prevent overcrowding by maintaining an optimum distance among members of a population.

Detailed explanation-4: -Territoriality is found in many organisms, probably including humans, and it serves several purposes. It may provide a good nesting or breeding site and a sufficient feeding or hunting area to support offspring. It may also protect a female from males other than her mate during the mating season.

Detailed explanation-5: -Territoriality is a type of intraspecific or interspecific competition that results from the behavioral exclusion of others from a specific space that is defended as territory. This well-defined behavior is exhibited through songs and calls, intimidation behavior, attack and chase, and marking with scents.

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